Friday, October 30, 2009
Blue Mountains and Sydney
Friday, October 23. Keith and I got up early in the morning and played a bit of tennis before enjoying a delicious buffet breakfast at the Crown Plaza. Given that Keith and I hadn't played tennis in about 2 months, I didn't think we did that bad – interestingly, the tennis courts were outside and were carpet – a first for me. After a quick stop at the Hunter Valley Chocolate Company, we were on the road again. Destination – Katoomba in the Blue Mountains. We decided to take the scenic route from Hunter Valley to the Blue Mountains via a road called Putty Road. It was a twisty turny road that climbed up and down mountains. Keith said it was definitely one of the most challenging roads he had ever driven. It was a great road to ride a motorcycle and we saw many of them taking the sharp turns in the road. It took us about 3-4 hours to get to Katoomba. The Blue Mountains were beautiful. They remind me of the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina. We checked into our hotel – Lillianfels – by far one of the nicest hotels we've stayed in. It's owned by the Orient Express and has incredible mountain views. We enjoyed an hour or so by their outside pool and then took a short hike down the Three Sisters – a series of three rock formations that are the highlight of the Blue Mountains. We then headed back to the hotel and enjoyed their indoor pool, followed by a jacuzzi, a steam room and a sauna – what a treat! Keith and I showered and headed into town to grab dinner. On the way back we stopped at the Three Sisters which were illuminated by strategically placed spotlights before calling it a night.
Saturday, October 24. Keith got up early and enjoyed the indoor pool while I caught a few more winks. We were then off on a 2 hour hike. The hike first brought by the Three Sisters followed by the Giant Stairway which brings you down the side of the mountain and into Jamison Valley. There are approximately 900 stairs that go STRAIGHT down. There were quite a few times that my legs were shaking and I had to try hard not to look down. By the time Keith and I got down to the bottom, our knees were jelly. We then hiked for about 2.5 km until we got to Scenic World – a spot which has cable cars that will bring you up, down and across Jamison Valley. We had started our hike on the early side so we had the trail to ourselves. And trust in the fact that I kept an eye out for snakes the whole time! Once we got to Scenic World we took the Scenic Railway back up the mountain (since we had hiked down via the Giant Stairway). The Scenic Railway was an old car that they used to haul coal in. It goes up at a 52 degree angle so you are almost all the way backwards as you go up – pretty cool. From there, we took the Scenic Skyway across the Valley. The Scenic Skyway was essentially a cable car with clear glass on all sides and once you leave the platform, the floor goes clear so you can see down below you – again pretty cool. After seeing the sights we hit the road – destination Sydney. We got to Sydney around 12:30 pm and checked into the hostel where our friends, Chuck and Alice (who we had stayed with in Perth) were staying. It was great to see some familiar faces. After grabbing some lunch, having a couple of beers and having many laughs catching up, Keith and I headed down to checkout Blackwattle Cove and the Anzac Bridge. From there, the four of us headed into the CBD and went to the top of Sydney Tower. The Tower provided some fabulous views of Sydney. Next we headed back to Glebe (the area of Sydney we were staying) and grabbed a delicious dinner. After a few bottles of wines and many more laughs we called it a night.
Sunday, October 25. Our friends Chuck and Alice were off bright and early. Keith and I had some breakfast and then headed off to Bondi Beach. Bondi Beach is great in that it is only 20 minutes from Sydney's CBD and it has excellent surfing and people watching. After spending the morning wandering around Bondi Beach we headed back into the CBD. We spent a few hours checking out Paddy's Market – a huge warehouse filled with all kinds of bargains in Darling Harbour. We then checked into the apartment where we would be staying for the next three nights – finally a place to call home for a few days. It had a full kitchen, so after returning our rental car we went to the grocery store to grab some provisions. It was a bit of a dreary day with heavy rain. After being on the go for so long, Keith and I lounged around a bit and did lots of laundry. Keith cooked us a delicious steak dinner and we called it a night.
Monday, October 26. Again it was a dreary day in Sydney but the rain had subsided a bit. After a lazy start, Keith whipped us up a delicious breakfast. I then headed off to the Australian Museum while Keith went to go get a haircut. The Museum had a good dinosaur display and mineral collection. From there, I wandered around Hyde Park and St. Mary's Cathedral. The rest of the day was spent on the internet trying to nail down some of our accommodations/flights for Southeast Asia – a bit of an undaunting task. Again Keith made us a delicious dinner and we called it a night.
Tuesday, October 27. Again it was a bit of a dreary day in Sydney but the rain had stopped. It was our last full day in Sydney so we wanted to make the most of it. After Keith made a yummy breakfast, we we off to see the sights of Sydney. We walked all along George Street – one of the main roads that runs through Sydney. We walked through the Queen Victoria Building – a HUGE building that is one block wide and two block long. I'm not sure what the building was originally used for, but now it's a big shopping center with high-end shops. Next we headed to Circular Quay where we got our first glimpse of the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge – both very impressive and beautiful sights. We took an 1 ½ hour cruise around Sydney Harbour and Darling Harbour which provided some great views of the city. After the cruise we headed over to the Sydney Opera House to get a closer view – it's quite an impressive building. We then wandered through an area of Sydney called The Rocks – it's essentially old Sydney. We had a delicious late lunch along the water and then headed down to Darling Harbour. We spent the rest of the day doing some errands and trying to downsize our luggage for our trip to Southeast Asia – we seemed to have accumulated quite a bit of stuff (especially since we had the luxury of a rental car for almost the entire time we were in Australia) and/or there were things we found we just didn't need. Keith cooked us again a delicious dinner and we called it night.
Wednesday, October 28. The morning was spent doing final errands before heading off to Thailand. We went to the post office to mail home all of our unneeded items and the bank to get some Thai Baht. We grabbed some lunch and then headed off to the airport. After a slight snag at the ticket counter (apparently we needed to show proof that we had a flight out of Thailand which we did not have on us - fortunately there was an internet cafe where I was able to print out our onward tickets) and then me getting picked at security for a random search, we finally boarded our flight to Phuket, Thailand. More on Thailand later. So a few thoughts on Sydney and Australia. Sydney is a great city. It reminds me a bit of New York with its size and shopping but it's cleaner, far less crowded and doesn't seem to smell as bad. Like many other cities in Australia it's architecture is a wonderful mix of old and new. Keith and I have to stop back in Sydney before heading over to New Zealand in another month or so and I looked forward to going back there. Keith and I have now been gone for about 1 ½ months. I think we're gone for a total of about 4 months so our trip is a little shy of being halfway done. We miss terribly our families, friends, dogs and a few creature comforts from home (Keith in particular misses Dunkin Donuts iced coffee). Though our first two weeks in Australia felt like two months as it was constantly go, go, go, we now look back and can hardly believe our time in Australia is over. Australia was an awesome country and there are a few spots Keith and I hope to make it back to before our time in this part of the world is over.
Saturday, October 24. Keith got up early and enjoyed the indoor pool while I caught a few more winks. We were then off on a 2 hour hike. The hike first brought by the Three Sisters followed by the Giant Stairway which brings you down the side of the mountain and into Jamison Valley. There are approximately 900 stairs that go STRAIGHT down. There were quite a few times that my legs were shaking and I had to try hard not to look down. By the time Keith and I got down to the bottom, our knees were jelly. We then hiked for about 2.5 km until we got to Scenic World – a spot which has cable cars that will bring you up, down and across Jamison Valley. We had started our hike on the early side so we had the trail to ourselves. And trust in the fact that I kept an eye out for snakes the whole time! Once we got to Scenic World we took the Scenic Railway back up the mountain (since we had hiked down via the Giant Stairway). The Scenic Railway was an old car that they used to haul coal in. It goes up at a 52 degree angle so you are almost all the way backwards as you go up – pretty cool. From there, we took the Scenic Skyway across the Valley. The Scenic Skyway was essentially a cable car with clear glass on all sides and once you leave the platform, the floor goes clear so you can see down below you – again pretty cool. After seeing the sights we hit the road – destination Sydney. We got to Sydney around 12:30 pm and checked into the hostel where our friends, Chuck and Alice (who we had stayed with in Perth) were staying. It was great to see some familiar faces. After grabbing some lunch, having a couple of beers and having many laughs catching up, Keith and I headed down to checkout Blackwattle Cove and the Anzac Bridge. From there, the four of us headed into the CBD and went to the top of Sydney Tower. The Tower provided some fabulous views of Sydney. Next we headed back to Glebe (the area of Sydney we were staying) and grabbed a delicious dinner. After a few bottles of wines and many more laughs we called it a night.
Sunday, October 25. Our friends Chuck and Alice were off bright and early. Keith and I had some breakfast and then headed off to Bondi Beach. Bondi Beach is great in that it is only 20 minutes from Sydney's CBD and it has excellent surfing and people watching. After spending the morning wandering around Bondi Beach we headed back into the CBD. We spent a few hours checking out Paddy's Market – a huge warehouse filled with all kinds of bargains in Darling Harbour. We then checked into the apartment where we would be staying for the next three nights – finally a place to call home for a few days. It had a full kitchen, so after returning our rental car we went to the grocery store to grab some provisions. It was a bit of a dreary day with heavy rain. After being on the go for so long, Keith and I lounged around a bit and did lots of laundry. Keith cooked us a delicious steak dinner and we called it a night.
Monday, October 26. Again it was a dreary day in Sydney but the rain had subsided a bit. After a lazy start, Keith whipped us up a delicious breakfast. I then headed off to the Australian Museum while Keith went to go get a haircut. The Museum had a good dinosaur display and mineral collection. From there, I wandered around Hyde Park and St. Mary's Cathedral. The rest of the day was spent on the internet trying to nail down some of our accommodations/flights for Southeast Asia – a bit of an undaunting task. Again Keith made us a delicious dinner and we called it a night.
Tuesday, October 27. Again it was a bit of a dreary day in Sydney but the rain had stopped. It was our last full day in Sydney so we wanted to make the most of it. After Keith made a yummy breakfast, we we off to see the sights of Sydney. We walked all along George Street – one of the main roads that runs through Sydney. We walked through the Queen Victoria Building – a HUGE building that is one block wide and two block long. I'm not sure what the building was originally used for, but now it's a big shopping center with high-end shops. Next we headed to Circular Quay where we got our first glimpse of the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge – both very impressive and beautiful sights. We took an 1 ½ hour cruise around Sydney Harbour and Darling Harbour which provided some great views of the city. After the cruise we headed over to the Sydney Opera House to get a closer view – it's quite an impressive building. We then wandered through an area of Sydney called The Rocks – it's essentially old Sydney. We had a delicious late lunch along the water and then headed down to Darling Harbour. We spent the rest of the day doing some errands and trying to downsize our luggage for our trip to Southeast Asia – we seemed to have accumulated quite a bit of stuff (especially since we had the luxury of a rental car for almost the entire time we were in Australia) and/or there were things we found we just didn't need. Keith cooked us again a delicious dinner and we called it night.
Wednesday, October 28. The morning was spent doing final errands before heading off to Thailand. We went to the post office to mail home all of our unneeded items and the bank to get some Thai Baht. We grabbed some lunch and then headed off to the airport. After a slight snag at the ticket counter (apparently we needed to show proof that we had a flight out of Thailand which we did not have on us - fortunately there was an internet cafe where I was able to print out our onward tickets) and then me getting picked at security for a random search, we finally boarded our flight to Phuket, Thailand. More on Thailand later. So a few thoughts on Sydney and Australia. Sydney is a great city. It reminds me a bit of New York with its size and shopping but it's cleaner, far less crowded and doesn't seem to smell as bad. Like many other cities in Australia it's architecture is a wonderful mix of old and new. Keith and I have to stop back in Sydney before heading over to New Zealand in another month or so and I looked forward to going back there. Keith and I have now been gone for about 1 ½ months. I think we're gone for a total of about 4 months so our trip is a little shy of being halfway done. We miss terribly our families, friends, dogs and a few creature comforts from home (Keith in particular misses Dunkin Donuts iced coffee). Though our first two weeks in Australia felt like two months as it was constantly go, go, go, we now look back and can hardly believe our time in Australia is over. Australia was an awesome country and there are a few spots Keith and I hope to make it back to before our time in this part of the world is over.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Pictures from Brisbane and Surfers Paradise
Brisbane at night, view of the Gold Coast from Q1 and Surfers Paradise skyline.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Friday, October 23, 2009
More Pictures from Fraser Island
View of 75 mile beach and one of the sand blows from Indian Head, view of 75 mile beach and sand blow at Lake Wabby.
More Pictures from Fraser Island
A few curious freshwater turtles, me in Eli Creek, The Pinnacles or Coloured Sands (though it looks like rock, it's really sand) and 75 mile beach.
Fraser Island, Brisbane, Surfers Paradise, Byron Bay, Etc.
I know that it's been awhile since my last posting so hopefully I won't forget anything!
Thursday, October 15. We were on the road again bright and early, happy to leave Rockhampton, with our ultimate destination being Hervey Bay. We took a slight detour and checked out Agnes Water and Town of 1770 (named for the year of Capital Cook's second landing). Since these towns were a bit of the main drag, Agnes Water and Town of 1770 were very quaint with nice beaches and just a few shops. Next stop on our route was Bundaberg – the Great Barrier Reef starts in Bundaberg, they have a large rum distillery there and it's where loggerhead turtles come to hatch their eggs and people can watch the baby turtles make the trek from their eggs to the ocean (though sadly we weren't there at the right time of year). We stopped at the post office so I could mail a few things and 30 minutes later I left after chatting with a very friendly postal worker who told me about his brother who was about to marry a girl from Kentucky, gave us directions to Bagarra (the coastal area) and even gave us a phone book so we could look at the maps (after marking out our route for us) – not exactly the same as U.S. postal workers! We drove out to Bagarra and had lunch along the ocean. Back on the road we went heading for Hervey Bay. We hit Hervey Bay around 4:00 pm. - a large town along the water. We checked into our hostel and grabbed some provisions for the camping trip we were about to embark upon the following day.
Friday, October 16. We were up bright and early to head over to Fraser Island. We had booked an “camping adventure 3-day safari” with one of the tour companies. The “bus” picked us up around 7:30 am and we met our tour guide Steve and our tour guide-in-training Simon. Steve was a classic Aussie outback guy - tall, a little rough around the edges and full of stories, jokes and antics. Simon was a Kiwi (someone from NZ) who was a little quiet but very nice. We picked up 6 other couples – 2 couples from the UK, 1 couple from Belgium, 1 couple from New Zealand (who we hope to see when we head over there) and 2 couples from the Netherlands (nicknamed by Steve as the “Netherlands Connection”) - once again we were the only Americans. We drove the bus onto the ferry to take the 50 minute ride over to Fraser Island. In route we saw a few dolphins off in the distance. So a few facts about Fraser Island – Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the world and it is the only place in the world where rainforest grows directly out of the sand. It's about 124 km long and 24 km wide. All of the roads are sand – and not hard packed sand, but rather soft sand sometimes 2 feet deep. Needless to say you can only go there in a 4WD vehicle. My Let's Go book says it's “a beach and rainforest playground crisscrossed by 4WD tracks.” The largest “road” on Fraser Island is a 75 mile beach along the east side where they have posted speed limits and you literally need to look both ways before crossing the beach. There are no street lights on Fraser Island and most people just camp along the beach. There are a few clusters of houses every once and awhile. The Aboriginal people call it “K'Gari” meaning “Paradise.” Fraser Island is home to the purest dingo population. Inland there are number of freshwater lakes which are wonderful since sadly you can't really swim in the ocean as there are tiger sharks and strong currents. Lastly, Fraser Island is ever changing as the wind moves large sand blows found on the island. Back to our trip... When we got to Fraser Island there was no dock or pier for the ferry but rather we pulled right up to the beach and off we went – slowly bumping along in our bus (seat belts are mandatory). Our first stop was a freshwater lake called Lake Allum. It was a slow ride to the Lake, though Steve chatted as he drove the whole time. Keith describes it as dune bugging in a bus. There were often times we didn't think we would make it up the track or we'd have to try four or five times to get past a particular spot. Almost all of the tracks are only wide enough for one vehicle so it's always tricky when you meet another car. We had picnic lunch and then headed down to Lake Allum. There were many curious freshwater turtles along the edge. The Lake itself had lots of tannins and tea tree oil so it was really good for your skin and hair but if you looked at you skin underwater, you looked a bit like an umpalumpa (sp?) – orange. The Lake was wonderfully refreshing. On the way out we saw a goanna – a large lizard type animal. Next we headed down to 75 mile beach were we stopped at a shipwreck called the SS Maheno. The Japanese had bought the SS Maheno from Australia. While towing it back to Japan, they hit an unexpected cyclone which caused the SS Maheno to crash onto the shore of Fraser Island. Next was Eli Creek – a beautiful (but a bit cold) freshwater creek that runs north into the ocean. From there we went to see the Pinnacles or the Coloured Sands, large pointed hills with layers and layers of different colored sand. On the way to the Coloured Sands we say large eagle ray that was skimming the shoreline. Finally we headed to our campsite at the Cathedral Beach Resort and Camping Ground (though not really sure where the “resort” part was unless you count the little general store). Our tents were all set up and were quite nice in so far as tents go. They were on raised platforms and had a good size bed. There was an area to sit outside and a large open air building for cooking and eating. There also was a building with showers and toilets. After receiving our tent assignment (Keith had become “buds” with Steve and Simon so I'm convinced we got the best tent), we headed for the showers. While Steve and Simon cooked dinner, we enjoyed some wine and snacks and chatted with the other folks on the tour. Dinner and dessert was quite good and the conversation flowed easily. Bed came quickly for everyone.
Saturday, October 17. We awoke bright and early. We had both slept well though I did have to get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom which was a bit scary as we didn't have flashlights. I was convince that “something” was going to get me on the way to or from the bathroom. Steve and Simon cooked us some breakfast and then back on the bus we went. We headed up 75 mile beach to area called Champagne Pools – a series of shallow tide pools. Next we wandered up Orchid Beach and looked for some local wildlife – or as Steve would say “let's see what Mother Nature has for us today.” We then grabbed lunch and then headed to Ocean Lake – another of the freshwater lakes. From there we climbed up to the top of Indian Head – a fabulous spot to see the sand blows and the beautiful beaches. From there we spied some whales off the coast. Next we headed back to camp. Keith tried his hand at some fishing (the seemingly most popular activity on Fraser Island) and I chatted with some of the other folks on the tour. We had another delicious dinner and called it a night. Only once during the day did we have to all get out of the bus so Steve could try (unsuccessfully) to get it up one of the hills we encountered.
Sunday, October 18. Again we were up bright and early having had the same issue with the bathroom as the night before. As an aside, I'm not sure camping is the thing for me – too many creepy crawly things for my liking. Perhaps I would enjoy it a bit more if there weren't so many poisonous creatures out there! The first stop for the morning was Lake Wabby. It was a bit a hike in, but it's an amazing spot as you cross a huge sand blow that flows right into the Lake. The water was beautiful. Next we had lunch in an area called Happy Valley. From there we headed to Lake Garawongera – the final lake on our tour. Along the way we had to get out of the bus so Steve could try to get it up a hill. After many unsuccessful attempts and even trying to go up backwards, all of the men on the had to push the back of the bus to get it up the hill. The swim in Lake Garawongera was quite refreshing. Next we needed to head back over to west side of Fraser Island to catch the ferry home. On the way back we stopped and wandered around a virgin rainforest where the trees are thousands and thousands of years old (it take trees fives times as long to mature on Fraser Island than anywhere else in the world). It was spectacular. We headed back on a 5:00pm ferry but not before the exhaust had fallen off the bus and we were relegated to sitting in the middle of the road while we waited for another bus to come with wire to jimmy the exhaust back onto the bus. Once we were back in Hervey Bay, we bid farewell to the others and to Steve and Simon. We grabbed some dinner and then headed to bed – exhausted.
Monday, October 19. We were up bright and early and on the road to Brisbane. Along the way we checked out an upscale beach town called Noosa and followed a coastal route along the beautiful beaches of the Sunshine Coast. We then headed to the Australia Zoo (about 45 minutes to the north of Brisbane) – the home of the Crocodile Hunter - the zoo that Steve Irwin owned and operated. It was one of the most beautiful and well kept zoos Keith and I have ever seen. You were able to interact with many of the animals. We were able to pet and feed kangaroos and koalas. The feature attraction (of course) was the crocodiles which were quite impressive. After enjoying a fabulous afternoon at the zoo, we checked out the Glasshouse Mountains – a series of 16 peaks which seem to come out of nowhere. Next stop was Brisbane. We checked into the apartment we were staying in – a beautiful 2 bedroom apartment with a full kitchen, living room, laundry, a balcony overlooking the river, etc. It was a wonderful welcome after spending several nights in hostels and camping. We then went walked through the Roma Street Parklands (the world's largest subtropical garden in a city center) and the CBD. Brisbane is a great city with the Brisbane River separating the north and south banks. We grabbed dinner at a place called Jo Jo's – a place recommended by my Let's Go which overlooks the CBD. It did not disappoint. It had five different kitchens from which to order which included Italian, Thai and char-grill. Dinner was fabulous and we even indulged in some yummy chocolate mousse for dessert.
Tuesday, October 20. The morning in Brisbane proved to be quite productive. After spending what seemed like several hours at a Flight Centre, Keith and I successfully planned at least part of our trip to Southeast Asia. Next Wednesday we fly out of Sydney to Phuket, Thailand. If all goes well, we'll spend ten days or so in southern Thailand checking out the beaches and then head to Cambodia for a six day tour and then Laos for a five day tour. We'll then head to Bali to meet up with our friend Rachel. By the time we finished at Flight Centre it was time for lunch. Since Jo Jo's had been so delicious for dinner the night before, we headed back there for lunch. Again it did not disappoint. We wandered around Brisbane for a bit more and then hit the road for Surfers Paradise along the Gold Coast (about an hour drive). We arrived in Surfers Paradise around 2:00 pm and checked into our hotel – a nice spot with a balcony overlooking an inlet. We then headed to the beach, checking out the CBD along the way. Surfers Paradise was a little bit like South Beach meets Rodeo Drive. There is a beautiful beach with lots of clubs, restaurants, etc. nearby as well as lots of high-end shops – Burberry, Coach, Tiffany, Luis Vuitton, etc. There is a lot of construction going on and clearly it is a growing area. After putting out faces in the sun for an hour we headed down to Q1 – the 20th tallest building in the world (and the tallest residential building in the world). We took the ride up to the top and the view was spectacular. You could see from Brisbane to Byron Bay. Keith and I enjoyed a cocktail while taking in the view. We headed back to the hotel, enjoyed a glass of wine on the balcony, showered and headed out for the evening. We wandered a bit more and then grabbed some dinner.
Wednesday, October 21. On the road again.... After enjoying the buffet breakfast at our hotel, we checked out and headed down the Gold Coast Highway, checking out the towns of Coolangatta and Tweeds Head – both known for excellent surfing. Both towns were much less metropolitan than Surfers Paradise but still provided excellent beaches and a fabulous view of the Surfers Paradise skyline. Next we headed to Byron Bay via a small artsy town in the mountains called Nimbin. Byron Bay was a cute beach side town. It had nice beaches and plenty of shops. We grabbed a late lunch and took a walk out to Cape Byron Lighthouse – the easterly most point of mainland Australia. Apparently Byron Bay is a popular spots for dolphins and humpback whales but sadly we were a little late in the season to see any (though Keith did think he saw some spray). We got a late start out of Byron Bay (around 6 pm), so we just decided to “wing it” and drive as far as we wanted and ust find someplace to spend the night. After driving for a couple of hours, we decided Grafton would be a good place to stop as it looked, from the map, to be a pretty big town. Being a Wednesday night, we didn't think finding lodging would be a problem. When we got to Grafton it was a bit of a ghost town and almost all of the motels were sold out! Apparently there were fires in the area and a number of people had left their houses to come stay in Grafton. Fortunately we were able to find one “hotel” - I use that word quite loosely as basically it was a bunch of rooms over a bar. The good news was that it was cheap and provided us a much needed place to spend the night. The bar below boasted that it had the coldest beers in town, so Keith and I both enjoyed one before calling it a night.
Thursday, October 22. Once again we were up bright and early and on the road before 7:00 am. We had a lot of ground to cover and needed to get a good start. Our ultimate destination was Hunter Valley – a wine region approximately 2 ½ – 3 hours from Sydney. It was a pretty uneventful but long drive (7 hours) and we managed to make it to Hunter Valley by 2:00 pm. After getting a map from the visitors center we checked into our hotel – a nice Crown Plaza. From there we went and checked out a number of the area's vineyards where we tasted delicious wine (and purchased a few bottles). We also tasted some local cheese. The area is beautiful. We went back to the hotel, enjoyed a bottle of wine, showered and then headed out to a delicious Italian dinner.
Thursday, October 15. We were on the road again bright and early, happy to leave Rockhampton, with our ultimate destination being Hervey Bay. We took a slight detour and checked out Agnes Water and Town of 1770 (named for the year of Capital Cook's second landing). Since these towns were a bit of the main drag, Agnes Water and Town of 1770 were very quaint with nice beaches and just a few shops. Next stop on our route was Bundaberg – the Great Barrier Reef starts in Bundaberg, they have a large rum distillery there and it's where loggerhead turtles come to hatch their eggs and people can watch the baby turtles make the trek from their eggs to the ocean (though sadly we weren't there at the right time of year). We stopped at the post office so I could mail a few things and 30 minutes later I left after chatting with a very friendly postal worker who told me about his brother who was about to marry a girl from Kentucky, gave us directions to Bagarra (the coastal area) and even gave us a phone book so we could look at the maps (after marking out our route for us) – not exactly the same as U.S. postal workers! We drove out to Bagarra and had lunch along the ocean. Back on the road we went heading for Hervey Bay. We hit Hervey Bay around 4:00 pm. - a large town along the water. We checked into our hostel and grabbed some provisions for the camping trip we were about to embark upon the following day.
Friday, October 16. We were up bright and early to head over to Fraser Island. We had booked an “camping adventure 3-day safari” with one of the tour companies. The “bus” picked us up around 7:30 am and we met our tour guide Steve and our tour guide-in-training Simon. Steve was a classic Aussie outback guy - tall, a little rough around the edges and full of stories, jokes and antics. Simon was a Kiwi (someone from NZ) who was a little quiet but very nice. We picked up 6 other couples – 2 couples from the UK, 1 couple from Belgium, 1 couple from New Zealand (who we hope to see when we head over there) and 2 couples from the Netherlands (nicknamed by Steve as the “Netherlands Connection”) - once again we were the only Americans. We drove the bus onto the ferry to take the 50 minute ride over to Fraser Island. In route we saw a few dolphins off in the distance. So a few facts about Fraser Island – Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the world and it is the only place in the world where rainforest grows directly out of the sand. It's about 124 km long and 24 km wide. All of the roads are sand – and not hard packed sand, but rather soft sand sometimes 2 feet deep. Needless to say you can only go there in a 4WD vehicle. My Let's Go book says it's “a beach and rainforest playground crisscrossed by 4WD tracks.” The largest “road” on Fraser Island is a 75 mile beach along the east side where they have posted speed limits and you literally need to look both ways before crossing the beach. There are no street lights on Fraser Island and most people just camp along the beach. There are a few clusters of houses every once and awhile. The Aboriginal people call it “K'Gari” meaning “Paradise.” Fraser Island is home to the purest dingo population. Inland there are number of freshwater lakes which are wonderful since sadly you can't really swim in the ocean as there are tiger sharks and strong currents. Lastly, Fraser Island is ever changing as the wind moves large sand blows found on the island. Back to our trip... When we got to Fraser Island there was no dock or pier for the ferry but rather we pulled right up to the beach and off we went – slowly bumping along in our bus (seat belts are mandatory). Our first stop was a freshwater lake called Lake Allum. It was a slow ride to the Lake, though Steve chatted as he drove the whole time. Keith describes it as dune bugging in a bus. There were often times we didn't think we would make it up the track or we'd have to try four or five times to get past a particular spot. Almost all of the tracks are only wide enough for one vehicle so it's always tricky when you meet another car. We had picnic lunch and then headed down to Lake Allum. There were many curious freshwater turtles along the edge. The Lake itself had lots of tannins and tea tree oil so it was really good for your skin and hair but if you looked at you skin underwater, you looked a bit like an umpalumpa (sp?) – orange. The Lake was wonderfully refreshing. On the way out we saw a goanna – a large lizard type animal. Next we headed down to 75 mile beach were we stopped at a shipwreck called the SS Maheno. The Japanese had bought the SS Maheno from Australia. While towing it back to Japan, they hit an unexpected cyclone which caused the SS Maheno to crash onto the shore of Fraser Island. Next was Eli Creek – a beautiful (but a bit cold) freshwater creek that runs north into the ocean. From there we went to see the Pinnacles or the Coloured Sands, large pointed hills with layers and layers of different colored sand. On the way to the Coloured Sands we say large eagle ray that was skimming the shoreline. Finally we headed to our campsite at the Cathedral Beach Resort and Camping Ground (though not really sure where the “resort” part was unless you count the little general store). Our tents were all set up and were quite nice in so far as tents go. They were on raised platforms and had a good size bed. There was an area to sit outside and a large open air building for cooking and eating. There also was a building with showers and toilets. After receiving our tent assignment (Keith had become “buds” with Steve and Simon so I'm convinced we got the best tent), we headed for the showers. While Steve and Simon cooked dinner, we enjoyed some wine and snacks and chatted with the other folks on the tour. Dinner and dessert was quite good and the conversation flowed easily. Bed came quickly for everyone.
Saturday, October 17. We awoke bright and early. We had both slept well though I did have to get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom which was a bit scary as we didn't have flashlights. I was convince that “something” was going to get me on the way to or from the bathroom. Steve and Simon cooked us some breakfast and then back on the bus we went. We headed up 75 mile beach to area called Champagne Pools – a series of shallow tide pools. Next we wandered up Orchid Beach and looked for some local wildlife – or as Steve would say “let's see what Mother Nature has for us today.” We then grabbed lunch and then headed to Ocean Lake – another of the freshwater lakes. From there we climbed up to the top of Indian Head – a fabulous spot to see the sand blows and the beautiful beaches. From there we spied some whales off the coast. Next we headed back to camp. Keith tried his hand at some fishing (the seemingly most popular activity on Fraser Island) and I chatted with some of the other folks on the tour. We had another delicious dinner and called it a night. Only once during the day did we have to all get out of the bus so Steve could try (unsuccessfully) to get it up one of the hills we encountered.
Sunday, October 18. Again we were up bright and early having had the same issue with the bathroom as the night before. As an aside, I'm not sure camping is the thing for me – too many creepy crawly things for my liking. Perhaps I would enjoy it a bit more if there weren't so many poisonous creatures out there! The first stop for the morning was Lake Wabby. It was a bit a hike in, but it's an amazing spot as you cross a huge sand blow that flows right into the Lake. The water was beautiful. Next we had lunch in an area called Happy Valley. From there we headed to Lake Garawongera – the final lake on our tour. Along the way we had to get out of the bus so Steve could try to get it up a hill. After many unsuccessful attempts and even trying to go up backwards, all of the men on the had to push the back of the bus to get it up the hill. The swim in Lake Garawongera was quite refreshing. Next we needed to head back over to west side of Fraser Island to catch the ferry home. On the way back we stopped and wandered around a virgin rainforest where the trees are thousands and thousands of years old (it take trees fives times as long to mature on Fraser Island than anywhere else in the world). It was spectacular. We headed back on a 5:00pm ferry but not before the exhaust had fallen off the bus and we were relegated to sitting in the middle of the road while we waited for another bus to come with wire to jimmy the exhaust back onto the bus. Once we were back in Hervey Bay, we bid farewell to the others and to Steve and Simon. We grabbed some dinner and then headed to bed – exhausted.
Monday, October 19. We were up bright and early and on the road to Brisbane. Along the way we checked out an upscale beach town called Noosa and followed a coastal route along the beautiful beaches of the Sunshine Coast. We then headed to the Australia Zoo (about 45 minutes to the north of Brisbane) – the home of the Crocodile Hunter - the zoo that Steve Irwin owned and operated. It was one of the most beautiful and well kept zoos Keith and I have ever seen. You were able to interact with many of the animals. We were able to pet and feed kangaroos and koalas. The feature attraction (of course) was the crocodiles which were quite impressive. After enjoying a fabulous afternoon at the zoo, we checked out the Glasshouse Mountains – a series of 16 peaks which seem to come out of nowhere. Next stop was Brisbane. We checked into the apartment we were staying in – a beautiful 2 bedroom apartment with a full kitchen, living room, laundry, a balcony overlooking the river, etc. It was a wonderful welcome after spending several nights in hostels and camping. We then went walked through the Roma Street Parklands (the world's largest subtropical garden in a city center) and the CBD. Brisbane is a great city with the Brisbane River separating the north and south banks. We grabbed dinner at a place called Jo Jo's – a place recommended by my Let's Go which overlooks the CBD. It did not disappoint. It had five different kitchens from which to order which included Italian, Thai and char-grill. Dinner was fabulous and we even indulged in some yummy chocolate mousse for dessert.
Tuesday, October 20. The morning in Brisbane proved to be quite productive. After spending what seemed like several hours at a Flight Centre, Keith and I successfully planned at least part of our trip to Southeast Asia. Next Wednesday we fly out of Sydney to Phuket, Thailand. If all goes well, we'll spend ten days or so in southern Thailand checking out the beaches and then head to Cambodia for a six day tour and then Laos for a five day tour. We'll then head to Bali to meet up with our friend Rachel. By the time we finished at Flight Centre it was time for lunch. Since Jo Jo's had been so delicious for dinner the night before, we headed back there for lunch. Again it did not disappoint. We wandered around Brisbane for a bit more and then hit the road for Surfers Paradise along the Gold Coast (about an hour drive). We arrived in Surfers Paradise around 2:00 pm and checked into our hotel – a nice spot with a balcony overlooking an inlet. We then headed to the beach, checking out the CBD along the way. Surfers Paradise was a little bit like South Beach meets Rodeo Drive. There is a beautiful beach with lots of clubs, restaurants, etc. nearby as well as lots of high-end shops – Burberry, Coach, Tiffany, Luis Vuitton, etc. There is a lot of construction going on and clearly it is a growing area. After putting out faces in the sun for an hour we headed down to Q1 – the 20th tallest building in the world (and the tallest residential building in the world). We took the ride up to the top and the view was spectacular. You could see from Brisbane to Byron Bay. Keith and I enjoyed a cocktail while taking in the view. We headed back to the hotel, enjoyed a glass of wine on the balcony, showered and headed out for the evening. We wandered a bit more and then grabbed some dinner.
Wednesday, October 21. On the road again.... After enjoying the buffet breakfast at our hotel, we checked out and headed down the Gold Coast Highway, checking out the towns of Coolangatta and Tweeds Head – both known for excellent surfing. Both towns were much less metropolitan than Surfers Paradise but still provided excellent beaches and a fabulous view of the Surfers Paradise skyline. Next we headed to Byron Bay via a small artsy town in the mountains called Nimbin. Byron Bay was a cute beach side town. It had nice beaches and plenty of shops. We grabbed a late lunch and took a walk out to Cape Byron Lighthouse – the easterly most point of mainland Australia. Apparently Byron Bay is a popular spots for dolphins and humpback whales but sadly we were a little late in the season to see any (though Keith did think he saw some spray). We got a late start out of Byron Bay (around 6 pm), so we just decided to “wing it” and drive as far as we wanted and ust find someplace to spend the night. After driving for a couple of hours, we decided Grafton would be a good place to stop as it looked, from the map, to be a pretty big town. Being a Wednesday night, we didn't think finding lodging would be a problem. When we got to Grafton it was a bit of a ghost town and almost all of the motels were sold out! Apparently there were fires in the area and a number of people had left their houses to come stay in Grafton. Fortunately we were able to find one “hotel” - I use that word quite loosely as basically it was a bunch of rooms over a bar. The good news was that it was cheap and provided us a much needed place to spend the night. The bar below boasted that it had the coldest beers in town, so Keith and I both enjoyed one before calling it a night.
Thursday, October 22. Once again we were up bright and early and on the road before 7:00 am. We had a lot of ground to cover and needed to get a good start. Our ultimate destination was Hunter Valley – a wine region approximately 2 ½ – 3 hours from Sydney. It was a pretty uneventful but long drive (7 hours) and we managed to make it to Hunter Valley by 2:00 pm. After getting a map from the visitors center we checked into our hotel – a nice Crown Plaza. From there we went and checked out a number of the area's vineyards where we tasted delicious wine (and purchased a few bottles). We also tasted some local cheese. The area is beautiful. We went back to the hotel, enjoyed a bottle of wine, showered and then headed out to a delicious Italian dinner.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Pictures from Fraser Island
View upon arriving on Fraser Island, our "bus" and Keith & I in front of the SS Maheno.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Whitsunday Islands, Airlie Beach & Rockhampton
Sunday, October 11. After a lazy start and a late check-out, Keith and I headed back into town. We shopped a bit, picking up a few last minute items before heading out on the boat. After lunch we headed down to the marina to meet the crew and the other couples we would be sailing with around the Whitsunday Islands. In addition to Keith and I, there was a couple from England, a couple from Holland, a couple from Germany (who currently live in Singapore), Marie (from Denmark) – our cook, crew and dive master, and Fernando (from Australia) – our captain. All and all it was a great group of people. Our boat was a 52 ft catamaran named Whitsunday Getaway. The boat was quite nice and, though our cabin was small, we had our own bathroom. Marie and Fernando briefed us about the boat and then we were off to sail the Whitsunday Islands! There are 74 islands that make up the Whitsunday Islands and they are part of the Great Barrier Reef. There was a fruit platter for us when we boarded the boat and while under sail we had appetizers – all you could eat prawns. We sailed to Hook Island, the second largest of the Whitsunday Islands and anchored in a little cove for the night. Dinner was delicious with chicken, corn, potatoes, salad and rolls being served. Dessert was cheesecake. Conversation flowed easily among all of us. The stars were incredible. Fernando, having an interest in astronomy, was able to point out a number of constellations. Most amazingly we could see the Milky Way – one of best sights I've ever seen!! We laid for a bit on the net in the bow of the boat looking for shooting stars and then called it a night.
Monday, October 12. Keith's Birthday!! Breakfast consisted of cereal, pancakes and fruit salad. As a side note, all of the food was pretty much all you could eat and if it didn't get eaten, it would get thrown away, so Keith and I left the trip at least 5 pounds heavier than when we started! We sailed up to another cove off of Hook Island where we would be snorkeling/diving. Keith and I were the only ones on the boat who were diving – which was fabulous because we essentially got a private scuba lesson. I was a little nervous about scuba diving as I had never done it before. Sadly some of the equipment they had was a little big, so that made things a tad more difficult for me. And oh boy was all that equipment heavy! I thought I was going to tip over!! After getting geared up and going through our “skills” we were off! Scuba diving was very cool and we saw some beautiful reefs (sadly the fish weren't as good as Cairns). I didn't have as much trouble as I thought I would and it's definitely something I would like to do again. Keith had scuba dived before, so of course it was no trouble for him. After diving, Keith and I did a bit of snorkeling then back on the boat we went to sail to Whitsunday – the largest of the Whitsunday Islands. On the way we had lunch – two different salads and a meat and vegetable platter for sandwiches. We anchored in a cove off Whitsunday and were shuttled into the Island. From there, we climbed to the top where we could see all of Whitehaven Beach -by FAR the most beautiful beach Keith and I have ever seen. Keith and I both rate Meghan's Bay in St. Thomas a distant second. Sadly I don't think words or pictures can adequately describe the beauty of it. My Let's Go book describes it as follows: “The most renowned destination in the Whitsundays is Whitehaven Beach, a 7km strip along the western rim of the island. Sand swirls like fine snow from one edge of the island to the other; at low tide you can practically walk across the inlet...” We were fortunate that we got to see the beach at low tide and the most beautiful white sand went on for miles and miles. We spent the rest of the afternoon lounging around the beach. Marie had packed us a snack of cookies and fruit. After the beach back on the boat we went. More food -an appetizer of nachos with lots of melted cheese, salsa, beans, etc. We then sailed back to Hook Island, to a different cove, where we would be spending the night. After anchoring for the night, we had another great dinner of steak, sweat potatoes, steamed vegetables and rolls. Dessert was a delicious chocolate cake where we all sung Keith happy birthday. As an aside, in Australia it's bad luck if you hit the plate while cutting the first piece of cake. Fernando pointed out a satellite to us – it was blinking and moving across the sky very very far away. Keith and I looked for (and saw) some more shooting stars and then called it a night.
Tuesday, October 13. Eating again - cereal, warm croissants and fruit salad. Next we had the choice of going snorkeling or diving again. Since the equipment hadn't fit me that well, we opted just to go snorkeling. More food after snorkeling, a pecan cinnamon danish. Sadly then it was time to head back to Airlie Beach (roughly a 2 ½ -3 hour sail from where we were). On the way back more food for lunch – another kind of salad, cheeses, bread, crackers, carrot and celery sticks with four different kinds of dips and some meat. We arrived back in Airlie Beach around 1:00 pm and bit farewell to everyone. Sailing was FABULOUS and we both agreed that two days/nights was the perfect amount of time. We had decided to stay at the same place we had stayed a few days before though we opted to go for the “luxury” suite. It was nice to have such a spacious room with a full kitchen, laundry, etc. Both Keith and I took long hot showers (our showers on the boat was supposed to be limited to 1 minute per day and for anyone who has sailed, knows how small the bathrooms are!). We headed back to town to cruise around and then grabbed some dinner. We had dinner at a place called Fish Divine. Though it was essentially part of a food court it had the most delicious fish (apparently it won the award for the second best seafood restaurant in all of Australia). Keith got the tuna and I tried the barrmudi (the local white fish). We were beat from the sun and sailing so we headed back to the hotel where we did laundry and caught up on some emails.
Wednesday, October 14. On the road again.... We were on the road by 10:00 am with both Keith and I VERY sad to leave Airlie Beach. It was the perfect mix for us. A beach town with enough going on to make it not boring but not enough to make it seem like a busy tourist trap. We were in route to a town called Rockhampton, the half-way point between Airlie Beach and Hervey Bay (where we'll be heading off to Fraser Island). It was a long drive (approximately 450 km) without too much to see. We stopped in a town called Mackay where we picked up an ipod adopter at Target – so at least we were able to listen to some good tunes. There also was a bad accident along the way which caused quite a long back-up. We actually turned off the car at one point. We arrived in Rockhampton, the “beef capital of Australia,” around 5:00 pm. After checking into our hostel we checked out the town – not much to see. We had dinner at the restaurant below the hostel – again not much to see, but big pieces of raw meat are brought out to you on hot slabs of stone, which allows you to cook the meat exactly to your liking. Keith hit the penny slots (in the restaurant below the hostel) for a bit, while I called it a night.
Monday, October 12. Keith's Birthday!! Breakfast consisted of cereal, pancakes and fruit salad. As a side note, all of the food was pretty much all you could eat and if it didn't get eaten, it would get thrown away, so Keith and I left the trip at least 5 pounds heavier than when we started! We sailed up to another cove off of Hook Island where we would be snorkeling/diving. Keith and I were the only ones on the boat who were diving – which was fabulous because we essentially got a private scuba lesson. I was a little nervous about scuba diving as I had never done it before. Sadly some of the equipment they had was a little big, so that made things a tad more difficult for me. And oh boy was all that equipment heavy! I thought I was going to tip over!! After getting geared up and going through our “skills” we were off! Scuba diving was very cool and we saw some beautiful reefs (sadly the fish weren't as good as Cairns). I didn't have as much trouble as I thought I would and it's definitely something I would like to do again. Keith had scuba dived before, so of course it was no trouble for him. After diving, Keith and I did a bit of snorkeling then back on the boat we went to sail to Whitsunday – the largest of the Whitsunday Islands. On the way we had lunch – two different salads and a meat and vegetable platter for sandwiches. We anchored in a cove off Whitsunday and were shuttled into the Island. From there, we climbed to the top where we could see all of Whitehaven Beach -by FAR the most beautiful beach Keith and I have ever seen. Keith and I both rate Meghan's Bay in St. Thomas a distant second. Sadly I don't think words or pictures can adequately describe the beauty of it. My Let's Go book describes it as follows: “The most renowned destination in the Whitsundays is Whitehaven Beach, a 7km strip along the western rim of the island. Sand swirls like fine snow from one edge of the island to the other; at low tide you can practically walk across the inlet...” We were fortunate that we got to see the beach at low tide and the most beautiful white sand went on for miles and miles. We spent the rest of the afternoon lounging around the beach. Marie had packed us a snack of cookies and fruit. After the beach back on the boat we went. More food -an appetizer of nachos with lots of melted cheese, salsa, beans, etc. We then sailed back to Hook Island, to a different cove, where we would be spending the night. After anchoring for the night, we had another great dinner of steak, sweat potatoes, steamed vegetables and rolls. Dessert was a delicious chocolate cake where we all sung Keith happy birthday. As an aside, in Australia it's bad luck if you hit the plate while cutting the first piece of cake. Fernando pointed out a satellite to us – it was blinking and moving across the sky very very far away. Keith and I looked for (and saw) some more shooting stars and then called it a night.
Tuesday, October 13. Eating again - cereal, warm croissants and fruit salad. Next we had the choice of going snorkeling or diving again. Since the equipment hadn't fit me that well, we opted just to go snorkeling. More food after snorkeling, a pecan cinnamon danish. Sadly then it was time to head back to Airlie Beach (roughly a 2 ½ -3 hour sail from where we were). On the way back more food for lunch – another kind of salad, cheeses, bread, crackers, carrot and celery sticks with four different kinds of dips and some meat. We arrived back in Airlie Beach around 1:00 pm and bit farewell to everyone. Sailing was FABULOUS and we both agreed that two days/nights was the perfect amount of time. We had decided to stay at the same place we had stayed a few days before though we opted to go for the “luxury” suite. It was nice to have such a spacious room with a full kitchen, laundry, etc. Both Keith and I took long hot showers (our showers on the boat was supposed to be limited to 1 minute per day and for anyone who has sailed, knows how small the bathrooms are!). We headed back to town to cruise around and then grabbed some dinner. We had dinner at a place called Fish Divine. Though it was essentially part of a food court it had the most delicious fish (apparently it won the award for the second best seafood restaurant in all of Australia). Keith got the tuna and I tried the barrmudi (the local white fish). We were beat from the sun and sailing so we headed back to the hotel where we did laundry and caught up on some emails.
Wednesday, October 14. On the road again.... We were on the road by 10:00 am with both Keith and I VERY sad to leave Airlie Beach. It was the perfect mix for us. A beach town with enough going on to make it not boring but not enough to make it seem like a busy tourist trap. We were in route to a town called Rockhampton, the half-way point between Airlie Beach and Hervey Bay (where we'll be heading off to Fraser Island). It was a long drive (approximately 450 km) without too much to see. We stopped in a town called Mackay where we picked up an ipod adopter at Target – so at least we were able to listen to some good tunes. There also was a bad accident along the way which caused quite a long back-up. We actually turned off the car at one point. We arrived in Rockhampton, the “beef capital of Australia,” around 5:00 pm. After checking into our hostel we checked out the town – not much to see. We had dinner at the restaurant below the hostel – again not much to see, but big pieces of raw meat are brought out to you on hot slabs of stone, which allows you to cook the meat exactly to your liking. Keith hit the penny slots (in the restaurant below the hostel) for a bit, while I called it a night.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Pictures from Whitehaven Beach
Whitehaven Beach - by far the most beautiful beach Keith and I have ever seen!
Pictures from Whitsunday Islands
Sunset over the Whitsunday Islands, me getting done up in my scuba gear and Keith and I on the catamaran.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Finally Another Post!
Tuesday, October 6. After checking out of our hotel, Keith and I wandered around town for a bit and then headed over to the Alice Springs Cultural Precinct which houses several museums. At the Museum of Central Australia we saw fragments of the meteorite that had caused the Henbury Meteorite Craters (which we visited a few days before) and saw the early geographical development of Australia. At the Central Australian Aviation Museum we heard about the early development of aviation in the region and that without aviation, it would have been nearly impossible to develop central Australia given its size and remoteness. As a side note, since central Australia is so vast and so remote in order get medical attention to the people this area they have something called the Royal Flying Doctors. They also have something called the School of the Air which apparently educates 140 children over 1.3 million sq. km. After the Cultural Precinct we grabbed some lunch at Subway and headed to the airport. Another side note – at Subway they have the “foot long” subs. Keith and I find this ironic since Australia is on the metric system. We then hopped on a plane for a 2 hour flight to Cairns. Both Keith and I were happy to be leaving desert and heading for the coast! We landed in Cairns to nice warm weather. The hotel shuttle picked us up and brought us to where we would be staying – the Cairns Colonial Club Resort. It was 9:00 pm or so by the time we got to our room. The Resort was fabulous – set on 11 acres of tropical forest – we even had a gecko in our room. Keith and I had a cocktail to celebrate and called it a night (or so we thought). As we laid in bed the amount of noise coming from all of the critters from outside was a bit overwhelming. Fortunately we discovered that a window was open. We closed it and although you could still hear the critters outside we were able to fall asleep.
Wednesday, October 7. The Resort was about 5km from the CBD (central business district) of Cairns, so we hopped on the shuttle bus in the morning to go check out the town. Keith and I wandered around town, checking out the esplanade, the marina, the shopping and the casino. Our priority for the day was nailing down a snorkeling trip on the Great Barrier Reef. After grabbing some lunch, we hit tourist information and booked ourselves a trip for the next day. We decided to have a little alone time in the afternoon. I hit the mall in search of a bathing suit and then lounged about by the esplanade where there is a huge public lagoon for everyone to swim/play in. Keith and I headed back to the Resort, grabbed some dinner and called it a night. Some thoughts on Cairns – Cairns, being right on the coast is a lovely place, though a city nonetheless. It caters to the tourists, so it has shop after shop after shop of the same souvenirs. It was nice to be in such a busy place after being in the desert. By the marina there is higher-end shopping - even a Louis Vuitton! There is a great boardwalk along the ocean – the esplanade which is a wonderful place to stroll. On the down side, they often burn the brush up in the mountains to prevent larger forest fires. This causes the skyline to be foggy and there is often a smell of smoke in the area.
Thursday, October 8. Keith and I were up bright and early to go snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef We were on board the boat, Silverstreak, by 8:15am along with 65 or so other passengers. It was about 1 hour and 10 minutes to our first stop on the Great Barrier Reef - a spot called Flynn's Reef. Heading out the Great Barrier Reef I couldn't imagine what it would look like as there was just deep ocean all around us. As we drew a little closer, I could see waves breaking. Finally as we arrived, we saw clear aqua water (as opposed to deep blue) and you could easily see the reef from the boat – it was super exciting! After suiting up in full-on smurf suits (because of all of the poisonous jelly-fish, you can rent full lycra suits which covers your entire body including your head and hands and so by the time you put on your flippers, snorkel and mask, there almost no skin showing), Keith and were off to snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef. It did not disappoint! The colors of all of the coral and fish were unbelievable – and they were everywhere you looked! After about an hour at Flynn's Reef, we then got back on the boat and headed to our second site – a different spot on Flynn's Reef. Back in the water we went. The second site wasn't quite as exciting, but we did get to see some sea turtles from the boat. We had a surprisingly delicious lunch and we were off to our third and final site – Thetford Reef. The third site was fabulous as well as we got to see bright blue star fish, sea cucumbers and giant clams. All and all snorkeling along the Great Barrier Reef was spectacular and it has even inspired me to try scuba diving. We got back into Cairns around 4:30 pm and we decided the next thing we needed to do was to nail down a sail among the Whitsunday Islands. After a visit to the tourist center and a few phone calls, we managed to book at two day, two night sail on a luxury catamaran with three other couples. We depart on Sunday and will be under sail in time for Keith's birthday on Monday. We're both super excited!! We picked p our rental car (which we'll have for the next 17 days as we drive from Cairns to Sydney – roughly 2,500 km), grabbed dinner by the pool back at the Resort, did some laundry and called it a night.
Friday, October 9. On the road again.... We headed out of Cairns around 9:30 am, headed for Townsville – the halfway point between Cairns and Airlie Beach (the departure point for the Whitsundays). We stopped for a few hours at Mission Beach. Mission Beach was a quiet little area with just a handful of shops and a long beautiful almost deserted beach. We arrived in Townsville around 5:00 pm and checked into our hotel for the evening. We then went and wandered around the city. They have a nice path along the ocean called the Strand with restaurants. Townsville was nice clean ocean-side town that wasn't quite as touristy as Cairns. Keith checked out the local casino and won some money for dinner. We grabbed a delicious dinner along the Strand. I headed back to the hotel to spend some time on the computer while Keith went back to the Casino to play in a Texas Hold'em tournament (where he won $100).
Saturday, October 10. After grabbing a huge breakfast in Townsville we were on the road again, heading to Airlie Beach. Though there wasn't much to see/do between Townsville and Airlie it was a very scenic drive nonetheless. We arrived in Airlie around 3:00 pm, picked up our boarding passes for our sail the next day and checked into our hotel – a fabulous place with a balcony overlooking the pool and ocean. We then went to wander around the town. Like Cairns, there is a large public lagoon for people to swim and lounge about; however unlike Cairns, Airlie is more of a small town with one main road. I think so far, it's my favorite town. It's not nearly as big as Cairns or Townsville but it's bigger than Mission Beach and has enough shops, restaurants and nightlife to keep it fun and interesting. And of course, it's right on the ocean – which is always a bonus. We headed back to the hotel to have some wine and appetizers and shower before dinner. While we were sitting on our balcony enjoying our wine, Keith managed to lure some cockatoos to the ledge. There we were able to hand feed them some chips and nuts. It was pretty cool! After showering, we headed back to town for a delicious steak dinner, hit the penny slots (where Keith won $80) and hit a couple of the bars where they had great live music.
Wednesday, October 7. The Resort was about 5km from the CBD (central business district) of Cairns, so we hopped on the shuttle bus in the morning to go check out the town. Keith and I wandered around town, checking out the esplanade, the marina, the shopping and the casino. Our priority for the day was nailing down a snorkeling trip on the Great Barrier Reef. After grabbing some lunch, we hit tourist information and booked ourselves a trip for the next day. We decided to have a little alone time in the afternoon. I hit the mall in search of a bathing suit and then lounged about by the esplanade where there is a huge public lagoon for everyone to swim/play in. Keith and I headed back to the Resort, grabbed some dinner and called it a night. Some thoughts on Cairns – Cairns, being right on the coast is a lovely place, though a city nonetheless. It caters to the tourists, so it has shop after shop after shop of the same souvenirs. It was nice to be in such a busy place after being in the desert. By the marina there is higher-end shopping - even a Louis Vuitton! There is a great boardwalk along the ocean – the esplanade which is a wonderful place to stroll. On the down side, they often burn the brush up in the mountains to prevent larger forest fires. This causes the skyline to be foggy and there is often a smell of smoke in the area.
Thursday, October 8. Keith and I were up bright and early to go snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef We were on board the boat, Silverstreak, by 8:15am along with 65 or so other passengers. It was about 1 hour and 10 minutes to our first stop on the Great Barrier Reef - a spot called Flynn's Reef. Heading out the Great Barrier Reef I couldn't imagine what it would look like as there was just deep ocean all around us. As we drew a little closer, I could see waves breaking. Finally as we arrived, we saw clear aqua water (as opposed to deep blue) and you could easily see the reef from the boat – it was super exciting! After suiting up in full-on smurf suits (because of all of the poisonous jelly-fish, you can rent full lycra suits which covers your entire body including your head and hands and so by the time you put on your flippers, snorkel and mask, there almost no skin showing), Keith and were off to snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef. It did not disappoint! The colors of all of the coral and fish were unbelievable – and they were everywhere you looked! After about an hour at Flynn's Reef, we then got back on the boat and headed to our second site – a different spot on Flynn's Reef. Back in the water we went. The second site wasn't quite as exciting, but we did get to see some sea turtles from the boat. We had a surprisingly delicious lunch and we were off to our third and final site – Thetford Reef. The third site was fabulous as well as we got to see bright blue star fish, sea cucumbers and giant clams. All and all snorkeling along the Great Barrier Reef was spectacular and it has even inspired me to try scuba diving. We got back into Cairns around 4:30 pm and we decided the next thing we needed to do was to nail down a sail among the Whitsunday Islands. After a visit to the tourist center and a few phone calls, we managed to book at two day, two night sail on a luxury catamaran with three other couples. We depart on Sunday and will be under sail in time for Keith's birthday on Monday. We're both super excited!! We picked p our rental car (which we'll have for the next 17 days as we drive from Cairns to Sydney – roughly 2,500 km), grabbed dinner by the pool back at the Resort, did some laundry and called it a night.
Friday, October 9. On the road again.... We headed out of Cairns around 9:30 am, headed for Townsville – the halfway point between Cairns and Airlie Beach (the departure point for the Whitsundays). We stopped for a few hours at Mission Beach. Mission Beach was a quiet little area with just a handful of shops and a long beautiful almost deserted beach. We arrived in Townsville around 5:00 pm and checked into our hotel for the evening. We then went and wandered around the city. They have a nice path along the ocean called the Strand with restaurants. Townsville was nice clean ocean-side town that wasn't quite as touristy as Cairns. Keith checked out the local casino and won some money for dinner. We grabbed a delicious dinner along the Strand. I headed back to the hotel to spend some time on the computer while Keith went back to the Casino to play in a Texas Hold'em tournament (where he won $100).
Saturday, October 10. After grabbing a huge breakfast in Townsville we were on the road again, heading to Airlie Beach. Though there wasn't much to see/do between Townsville and Airlie it was a very scenic drive nonetheless. We arrived in Airlie around 3:00 pm, picked up our boarding passes for our sail the next day and checked into our hotel – a fabulous place with a balcony overlooking the pool and ocean. We then went to wander around the town. Like Cairns, there is a large public lagoon for people to swim and lounge about; however unlike Cairns, Airlie is more of a small town with one main road. I think so far, it's my favorite town. It's not nearly as big as Cairns or Townsville but it's bigger than Mission Beach and has enough shops, restaurants and nightlife to keep it fun and interesting. And of course, it's right on the ocean – which is always a bonus. We headed back to the hotel to have some wine and appetizers and shower before dinner. While we were sitting on our balcony enjoying our wine, Keith managed to lure some cockatoos to the ledge. There we were able to hand feed them some chips and nuts. It was pretty cool! After showering, we headed back to town for a delicious steak dinner, hit the penny slots (where Keith won $80) and hit a couple of the bars where they had great live music.
Pictures of Uluru and Alice Springs
The fly problem, Keith "bushwalking" through Emily's Gap and Aborignal artwork in Emily's Gap.
Pictures of Kata Tjuta and Uluru
Kata Tjuta from afar, view from Valley of the Winds walk and me next to Uluru on our walk around the base (I'm the small dot in red).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)